Howard Payne University will hold two Commencement ceremonies, divided by major, for spring 2021 and fall 2020 graduates at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. The events will be held at the university’s historic L.J. Mims Auditorium, located on HPU’s campus near the intersection of Austin Avenue and Center Avenue.

Graduates from the Schools of Business, Christian Studies, and Education will be awarded diplomas during the 10 a.m. ceremony. Graduates from the Schools of Humanities, Music and Fine Arts, Nursing, and Science and Mathematics will be awarded diplomas during the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Following the conclusion of both ceremonies, receptions for graduates and their families will be held in the Davidson Music Complex and the Jackson Room of the Faith and Life Leadership Center.

The Commencement ceremonies will be preceded on Friday, May 7, by Chime Out, an HPU tradition in which graduating seniors pass a chain of ivy to underclassmen, representing the passing of authority, responsibility and privileges to students who remain on campus to carry out the traditions of the university. Chime Out will begin at 7 p.m. in L.J. Mims Auditorium.

Guests unable to attend either Chime Out or Commencement can view livestreams of the events at www.facebook.com/hputx.